[Feigen] How James Ennis Earned his spot in the Starting Lineup

I like this .

However, the article implies that PJ will be our primary backup C .... I don't like that too much . I know with Melo in , we want to get PJ his mins too , but I would like to give hartenstein a shot for a few reasons .

1) I don't want PJ to wear down over the course of the season and having him play backup 5 in addition to starting 4 is a heavy load on a guy who will be outsized .... I know PJ is tough ; but he's just not 6'10" 250+ .... those extra pounds matter .

2) Hartenstein has some skills and has shown a good feel for the game . Having a taker player in there opens up the lob game and he might be a better finisher than PJ on the PnR . Having that vertical lob threat is a major part of our offense and one I don't wanna give up if we don't have to . Paul and Harden will get him easy looks .

3) hartenstein is definitely not as good of a team defender (or individual) as PJ , but he could improve over the season . Then during the playoffs , if the situation calls for it you can use PJ as backup 5.

I think the rotation MDA has set out is probably our best rotation ... but you don't need to play your best rotation all the time . The regular season is a marathon and there are advantages and disadvantages to pacing yourself . I think where the rockets are , I would like to see the rotation expanded , nights off etc

The goal is a ring and while seeding is helpful , it isn't the end all be all . We need to be peaking in April may and June , not in oct and Nov . It's nice to come out of the gate quickly , but it's easier to steadily build momentum than it is to go out fast , take a rest , and then pick it back up ..... at least IMO

 

lol... person"s"...as in a bunch of MOFs.

 

Transition, baby

“I think he does an unbelievable job of running and playing at his own pace,” Harden said. “I just have to adapt to it. We love his pace, him able to get out and run the wings. He knows the more times he does that, the more opportunities he’ll get and we’ll get as a team, when you have him and guys like Clint (Capela) running. It’s great for our basketball club to get out and put that pressure on defenses in transition.​

“Open looks. Easy layups for him. Easy layups for our bigs. Once those guys run like that, it creates a pace and everybody eats off of that.”​

 

Harden loves the eating metaphor

 

Yea, insert “feeds” and it’s still funny, I wonder what kind of diet Harden goes on during the season if any....

Love hearing Ennis is in the SL

 

Nom nom nom nom

One of his summer interviews before the Bahamas he was talking about how he loves to eat. fwiw. I took that like a foodie comment on traveling and restaurants

 

Question is, will he still be a starter when Butler gets here.

 

MCW is a younger Corey Brewer. But better ball handler/facilitator so not just a garbage man on O, energy guy on D.

 

Ennis > Ariza

 

I hope for better health from him, and wish him a great season.

 

For a second I thought James Ennis was going to be wearing #Metoo pin because of something he did to get that spot.... anywhooo i like what Ennis brings to our team. I do however think he is better suited for coming off the bench with the running squad. I still hope we can find someone that can be just as effective at Cp3 Melo and Hardens pace when they need to slow things down to a halfcourt game.

 

My question with Hartenstein is his ability to finish around the rim. I don't have his stats but it looked like he missed a lot of layups. He will become a target of other teams isolations as well. I like him too, but are you sure he is ready to become a full time back up 5?

We are talking about consistent minutes on a championship level team.

Those issues don't concern you?

 

I don’t think we go into the season with mindset of Luc starting if he stayed. Not Morey. You can’t depend on his health.

 

If he ****s up consistently then bench him . I'm not suggesting he play in the playoffs . I just want him to have a chance to carve out mins; mainly to limit the wear on PJ

 

I know this may not be popular because who knows if he has anything left, but I trust Nene more than Hartenstein at this point but I do agree that it would be nice if he can ear some minutes so we have a reliable backup 5 with length if we ever need him.